I am Tahoe Mack, a senior Girl Scout from troop 41. I am a Girl Scout gold award recipient. The Gold Award challenges Girl Scouts to find a need in the community and create a sustainable solution. When I began my journey to find a project, I met Sherri Grotheer, who talked to my troop about Tule Springs National Monument. During her presentation, I saw something that I had never seen in my hometown. I saw a park that could bring this diverse community together to celebrate education, sustainability, and the importance of protecting the past. I also saw how much hard work goes into protecting things for the next generation.

Growing up in the Las Vegas Valley, there wasn’t much keeping me grounded into the community. But now, I can look outside and see the fossils of the sabertooth cats, giants sloths, and columbian mammoths in my backyard. I want our community together in North Las Vegas to see the what’s waiting out there in the desert to discover.

The Monumental Mammoth project is a plan to bring to life what is hidden beneath the surface and clean up the mess we have made to create something beautiful. The concept is to create a life-sized Columbian Mammoth out of a skeletal steel structure and recycled materials to tell the story of our home’s past, present, and future that is represented in Tule Springs National monument. The sculpture will be created with the help of local established artists Luis Varela Rico and uniquely talented Dana Albany to pull together the sleek elements of the interior steel structure and the intricate weavings of the found objects which represents the distinctive community that I hope this project fosters. Art connects people, it projects beauty and depth, and it is necessary. It helps us grow roots in soil, and leaves a legacy behind. Im asking for your donation to help bring our monumental mammoth to find a home in North Las Vegas. I can’t wait to be here with my future children to give them a real example of what can happen when a community comes together to protect something valuable. We are only as small as our dreams. So lets build a mammoth. To learn more about the project or make a donation, visit: https://protectorsoftulesprings.org/monumental-mammoth-project/